David Meuer considers himself lucky to have been introduced to conservation practices through his father, who saw value in investing in the health of the land. When David purchased his own land and took over his father’s farm, he continued to uphold the conservation ethic his dad instilled in him.

Along with his wife Leslie, David managed a diverse 150-acre farm, just east of Lake Winnebago in Chilton. They raised beef cattle, egg layers, bees, pumpkins, strawberry fields, row crops and grains.

The Meuers worked with the land rather than against it. The cattle were grass-fed and rotationally grazed on 30 ares of sloping pastures. Relying on the stream running through their land to provide water for their cows, they installed stream bank fencing to help hold the soil in place and keep the water clean as it empties into Lake Winnebago.